Robust Seal Optimizes New SKF Mounted Tapered Roller Bearing Performance for Harsh-Environment Industrial Applications

SKF, global supplier of bearings, seals, lubricants, and condition monitoring systems, vastly extended the performance, and product life of its new mounted tapered roller bearingsby pairing them with a superior seal. The Type E mounted tapered roller bearing incorporates SKF’s CR Seal, which extends service life by virtually eliminating ingress of contamination, even under harsh conditions.

These units typically break down for one reason – seal failure. By improving the seal performance, they can be designed to last much longer – extending uptime and increasing reliability for the industrial equipment in which they are found.

Equipment operators often accept that contamination ingress inevitably leads to premature machine failures, SKF is helping change this perception by combining its bearing and sealing expertise into a single higher-performing unit.

“The seal performance of our new Type E bearing surpasses our competitors, outlasting their products ten times over. In mud-slurry tests, our seal withstood more than 600 hours with zero contamination ingress,” says Eric Brubaker, Director of Product Management at SKF North America “Competing products saw ingress at 50 hours or earlier.”

As an integral part of the new Type E bearing, CR Seals from SKF offer several lines of defense against contamination. The use of hydrogenated nitrile rubber (HNBR) resists both wear and high temperatures, while a full rubber outside diameter improves static sealing within the housing. Multiple sealing lips exclude all types of contamination including dirt, mud, water, sand, and powder. The seal also allows the bearing to be relubricated without risking damage to the sealing lips.

Mounted tapered roller bearings, used when an increased thrust load is needed with limited axial movement, are excellent for demanding industries such as mining, aggregates, and cement. Potential applications include material handling equipment, such as belt feeders and screw conveyors, and process machinery including grinders, shredders, and mixers. SKF’s Type E bearing can also help improve performance and reliability in conveyors and process equipment in other industries, including in lumber, pulp & paper, metals, and food processing.